Grasping at Energy Straws

In February 2012 New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer called upon Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to request Saudi Arabia increase their oil production to make up for potential disruptions in the world’s oil supply resulting from Iranian saber-rattling. Schumer’s unhidden rationale was that such a pledge from the Saudis would drive down gasoline prices in America

This ill-advised strategy was clearly politically driven. While the idea of higher gasoline prices, and the accompanying increase in the price of gas dependent goods and services is consistently rejected by average Americans, this is a blatantly partisan call for a short-term fix. This temporary, non-solution, suggested in order to perpetuate the false narrative that America’s economy is improving thanks to “progressive” policy decisions does absolutely nothing to reduce America’s dependency on foreign oil. Quite to the contrary, it exacerbates it.

On March 15, 2012 Reuters reported that during British Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent trip to the U.S. the current White House occupant proposed releasing emergency oil reserves as a way to reduce world oil prices.

Were the White House to make such a decision, it would be yet another desperate attempt to lower gas prices by whatever means possible. Tapping into the emergency oil reserves is a bad idea. Those reserves are there for use during a pressing national emergency. Tapping in to them every time there’s an increase in the price of a barrel of oil is both gross mismanagement and a misguided misapplication of the stockpile. Not only will the reserves need to be replenished with what might well turn out to be more expensive oil, tapping into them now does nothing to address the long-term problem.

“progressives” continue to grasp at short-term straws frantically trying to make themselves look good in the eyes of low information, sound bite voters. They’re willing to do whatever it takes to win the 2012 election, even if decisions made to make themselves look good in the short term are not sound long term solutions. As radical “progressive” political strategist and leftist hero Saul Alinsky dictated: the ends justify the means.

In the interest of national security and job creation, the United States should put Americans back to work delivering American energy to Americans. This is the best way for America to become energy independent while boosting the economy. Trying to force “green energy” on America’s economy overnight will only contribute to the collapse of that economy. Evidence: Spain’s troubled financial situation and extremely high unemployment.

America doesn’t need a broken economy. America doesn’t need short-term price fixes driven by partisan political decisions. America needs and deserves sound, long term solutions that will result in energy independence.